Rick Steves on Eating in Italy and More Programs in February

Smithsonian Associates offers innovative, online and in-person programming that promotes learning, enrichment and creativity for people of all ages. Hundreds of seminars, studio arts classes and study tours are offered annually. To view the Smithsonian Associates digital program guide, visit smithsonianassociates.org.

Wednesday, February 1

Art Crimes: International Art Heists: Big-money art attracts big-money criminals. Expert on art fraud and former FBI agent Robert Wittman provides a close-up view of some of the notorious heists and daring recovery operations he worked on as an agent. This program will be held online from 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. $20-$25

 

Thursday, February 2

Rick Steves on Eating in Italy: A Cultured Conversation with Fred Plotkin: Italy and its superb cuisine draw hungry visitors from all over the world. European travel expert Rick Steves joins Fred Plotkin, a specialist in Italian cuisine and culture, for a deep dive into many of Italy’s secret culinary pleasures. Their shared insights about hidden gems ensure that your next trip to Italy is delizioso. This program will be held online from 6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET. $25-$30

 

Sunday, February 5

Botanical Gardens World Tour: Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew and the Eden Project: Indulge in a colorful midwinter escape as horticultural experts lead a series of virtual visits that highlight the beauty of notable botanical gardens. This program spotlights Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Eden Project. This program will be held online from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. $25-$30

 

Monday, February 6

The Geology of Western National Parks: Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands: Join geologist Kirt Kempter as he explores the geology of Western National Parks over the course of 2023, with an in-depth look at one location every month. This program spotlights Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands, both in New Mexico and will be held online from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET. $25-$30

 

Tuesday, February 7

The Second Middle Passage: American Domestic Slave Trade: Historian Richard Bell takes you inside the domestic slave trade that flourished in the Upper South, tracking its rise and its impact on the expansion of slavery into new territories and states. This program will be held online from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET. $25-$35

Winslow Homer: Capturing an America in Transformation: Winslow Homer (1836–1910) has often been called America’s favorite painter. His work was both quintessentially American and quietly replete with narratives for and about people of all races and ages. Drawing on his new biography, Winslow Homer: American Passage, William R. Cross offers an illustrated look at the man behind the art and examines Homer’s role in American culture. This program will be presented in person at the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s McEvoy Auditorium from 6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. $20-$25

 

Wednesday, February 8

Spices 101: Ginger: Join Eleanor Ford, acclaimed food writer and author of The Nutmeg Trail: Recipes and Stories Along the Ancient Spice Routes as she explores ginger’s history, lore, science and flavor, then turns to the kitchen where she shares how home cooks can use it to best effect. This program will be held online from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET. $25-$30

 

Thursday, February 9

Marisol: A Pop Art Superstar: Glamorous, sophisticated, worldly, and wickedly funny, Marisol Escobar, better known simply as “Marisol,” was the most famous and successful female Pop artist. Art historian Nancy G. Heller examines Marisol’s major works and career, with particular attention to the difficulties of a female Latinx artist in a world dominated by white men. This program will be held online from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET. $20-$25

 

Saturday, February 11

The Regency World of Jane Austen: Art, Architecture, Culture: Emma Woodhouse, Elizabeth Bennet, Anne Elliot and the Dashwood sisters may be fictional heroines, but their creator Jane Austen set their adventures in romance against the very real social and historical backdrop of Regency England. Art historian Bonita Billman brings the era to life as she surveys Regency manners and fashions, the personalities who dominated the public imagination and the stylish spa town of Bath, where many of Austen’s characters made appearances. This program will be held online from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. $80-$90

 

Sunday, February 12

Botanical Gardens World Tour: Singapore Botanic Garden and Norfolk Botanical Gardens: Indulge in a colorful midwinter escape as horticultural experts lead a series of virtual visits that highlight the beauty of notable botanical gardens. This program spotlights the Singapore Botanic Garden and Norfolk Botanical Gardens and will be held online from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. $25-$30

Thursday, February 16

Discovering Türkiye: PBS television host Darley Newman shares great places to discover in Türkiye (the now-official name for Turkey) and how to get the most out of your travels, whether you’re visiting bustling bazaars in Istanbul or venturing off the beaten path. Discover the most intriguing places to experience food, culture, adventure and history in Istanbul, Cappadocia, Anatolia, Antalya and the Aegean Coast. This program will be held online from 6:45 p.m to 8:15 p.m. ET. $20-$25

 

Friday, February 17

Road Trip: Wines of the Iberian Coast: PBS television host Darley Newman shares great places to discover in Türkiye (the now-official name for Turkey) and how to get the most out of your travels, whether you’re visiting bustling bazaars in Istanbul or venturing off the beaten path. Discover the most intriguing places to experience food, culture, adventure, and history in Istanbul, Cappadocia, Anatolia, Antalya, and the Aegean Coast. This program will be held online from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET. $65-$75

 

Saturday, February 18

Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Presents Mamie Smith, Bessie Smith, and the Centennial Year of Race Records: Under the artistic direction of maestro Charlie Young, enjoy outstanding live performances of great jazz music by the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. This in-person concert delves into the vocal styling of legendary blues singers Mamie (“Queen of the Blues”) Smith and Bessie (“Empress of the Blues”) Smith. This program will be held in person at the National Museum of Natural History Baird Auditorium from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. $20-$25

 

Sunday, February 19

Botanical Gardens World Tour: Temple Gardens of Kyoto, Japan: Indulge in a colorful midwinter escape as horticultural experts lead a series of virtual visits that highlight the beauty of notable botanical gardens. This program spotlights the Temple Gardens of Kyoto, Japan and will be held online from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. $25-$30

 

Wednesday, February 22

An Anatomy of Addiction: Medical historian Howard Markel traces the careers of two brilliant young doctors—Sigmund Freud, neurologist, and William Halsted, surgeon—showing how their powerful addictions to cocaine shaped their enormous contributions to psychology and medicine. He also examines the physical and emotional damage caused by the then-heralded wonder drug, and how each man ultimately changed the world in spite of it. This program will be held online from 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. ET. $20-$25

Thursday, February 23

Wildfire: The Life and Works of Edmonia Lewis: Nineteenth-century artist Edmonia Lewis, the daughter of a Black man and a Native American woman, overcame poverty and racial and gender-based discrimination to become an enormously successful professional sculptor based in Rome. Art historian Nancy G. Heller discusses Lewis’s place within the broader context of American Neoclassicism and African American art history. This program will be held online from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET. $20-$25

Frederick Douglass: Autobiographer: During the 19th century, the great civil rights leader Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) was a celebrated orator, editor and writer. Join Douglass scholar Robert S. Levine as he focuses on Douglass the autobiographer and considers the significant changes and additions he made to his later autobiographies, My Bondage and My Freedom and Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. This program will be held online from 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. ET. $20-$25

Saturday, February 25

The Axelrod String Quartet: Stradivarius and Amati: Smithsonian Chamber Music Society audiences are privy to the unparalleled experience of being able to hear two magnificent quartets of instruments—one made by Antonio Stradivari, the other by his teacher Nicoló Amati—in this popular series offered on Saturdays and Sundays. This concert features music composed by Haydn, Shostakovich and Beethoven. Additional Axelrod String Quartet performances will take place on February 26, April 1, April 2, April 29 and April 30. Concerts will be held in-person at the National Museum of American History’s Nicholas Eugenia Taubman Hall of Music from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. $27-$35

 

Tuesday, February 28

1966: Black Power Challenges the Civil Rights Movement: Journalist and author Mark Whitaker examines the dramatic events of 1966, in which a new sense of Black identity expressed in the slogan “Black Power” challenged the nonviolent civil rights philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis. He also discusses why the lessons from 1966 still resonate today. This program will be held online from 6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. ET. $20-$25

View the Smithsonian Associates digital program guide.

Lauren Lyons | READ MORE

Lauren Lyons is a public affairs specialist at Smithsonian Associates.